I KINGS VIII, IX

(II Chronicles vi, vii)

And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the Lord, that he assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel. And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord, in the presence of all the assembly, and spread forth his hands toward heaven, and said:

The Lord hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built thee an house of habitation, a place for thee to dwell in for ever. But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded! Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee this day; that thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall pray toward this place. And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people, when they shall pray toward this place: yea, hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place; and when thou hearest, forgive.

Moreover concerning the stranger, when he shall come out of a far country for thy name's sake (for they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy mighty hand, and of thine outstretched arm); when he shall come and pray

toward this house; hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and do according to all his prayer; that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, and that they may know that this house is called by thy name.

If a man sin against his neighbour, and he come and pray before thine altar in this house; then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and do, and judge thy servants, reproving the wicked, and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.

If they sin against thee (for there is no man that sinneth not), and if they shall bethink themselves, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have dealt wickedly; if they return unto thee with all their heart and with all their soul, and pray unto thee: then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling-place; and when thou hearest, forgive.

What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people, who shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men ;) that they may fear thee all the days of their life.

And it was so, that, when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication, the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me. If now thou wilt walk before me with integrity of heart and in uprightness, even thou and this people, then will I hallow this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, then shall this congregation be a proverb and a byword among all people; and at this house, though it is so high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss. Howbeit, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, thou and this people, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then shall this house be hallowed, and I will dwell among this people.

I KINGS XVIII

Then Ahab sent and gathered together the prophets of Baal unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire

under. And call ye on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped about the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud! for he is a god! either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked! And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me; and all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was thrown down; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the

wood. And he said, Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time; and they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time; and they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and the trench also he filled with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, O Lord, the God of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou, O Lord, art God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is God! the Lord, he is God!

I KINGS XIX

Then Elijah arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper-tree: and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is enough! now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. And he lay and slept under the juniper-tree; and, behold, an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was at his head a cake